Sunday, May 28 8:00 -Mass for the deceased members of the Gainer, Moreau and Tatum families 9:30 -Mass for John and Lena Rini 11:00 -Mass for all people of the parish 12:30 -Spanish Mass for Jim Riser 6:00 -Mass for Jeanette Gilmore

Monday, May 29 8:00 -Mass for the intention of David Showers 6:00 -Women of Grace (HFC)

Sunday, June 4 8:00 -Mass for Billie K. Jeansonne 9:30 -Mass for John and Faye Pontif 11:00 -Mass for all people of the parish 12:30 -Spanish Mass for George Rabalais 6:00 -Mass for Susan Robin

ALTAR FLOWERS were provided in loving memory of Dick, Edwin and Paul Mathews; and all military families by Cecelia Mathews and family. If you are interested in donating fresh flowers for the altar call the church office at 445-7141 ext 214. Flowers are $75 for both arrangements.

ALTAR SANCTUARY LAMPS were provided in loving memory of Barbara Laborde by her family. If you are interested in having a loved one remembered by providing the sanctuary lamps, call the church office at 445-7141 ext 214. Cost is $7.50 per candle.

ADORATION CHAPEL: The Blessed Sacrament is reserved for adoration by all the faithful in the St. Pius X Chapel located in the rear of the Church building. To obtain the combination for the chapel stop by the church office at 3822 Bayou Rapides Road, during office hours. We remind you not to give the code to anyone, and please do not open the door for anyone.

OUR OFFERTORY GIFTS Regular Collection Average expenses for week $ 21,552.76 Gifts for the week of May 21 $ 24,875.22 Over for the week of May 21 $ 3,322.46 Holy Family Center Balance on HFC note 05/04/17 $ 121,545.30 Monthly note on HFC $ 15,000.00 Collected HFC month of May $ 12,391.33

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

Jesus is the perfect steward, watching carefully over all who had been entrusted to Him by the Father and then sending them all out into the world in service. May I similarly protect and wisely use the gifts entrusted to me!

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED AND THE CONSOLATION OF THEIR FAMILIES: Louis Marien

PARISH OFFICE will be closed, Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day.

PLEASE BE AWARE of how you dress to come to Mass. As the heat of summer is upon us, and we live in casual times, it’s easy to fall into “dressing down”! Thank you! –Fr. Scott

IF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER IS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL please let us know! Due to the Privacy Act now in place at all the hospitals, we are not always able to get a list of patients from the hospitals. During office hours you may call 445-7120. If you are admitted to the hospital after office hours or on the weekend, please call 445-7141 ext 4. If you have a surgery scheduled in advance, you may see one of the priests in the Sacristy or confessional before Mass, or call us at anytime. Please remember in emergencies to call us at 445-7141 ext 4. This will insure that a priest or one of our hospital visitors from St. Rita will be able to see you. We will also know to pray for you in a special way! – Fr. Scott

CATHOLIC INQUIRY (RCIA): If you are interested in knowing more about the Catholic faith, please call Sr. Nell Murray at 445-7141 ext. 215. We are glad to work within your schedule and help you in any way to become a Catholic. Come and talk to us. –Sr. Nell Murray

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHURCH HOME you are cordially invited to join the St. Rita Parish family. Parish Census/Registration forms are located on the back of the bulletin. If you are not Catholic, now might be a great time to investigate the possibility. You are certainly welcome! Regardless of place of residence anyone may register and belong to any parish by diocesan law.

Notes from the Pastor.....

I am pleased to announce, along with our Parish Pastoral and Stewardship Council and our Parish Finance Council, that we have begun to engage in a pastoral planning process, aimed at identifying issues and enabling the development of a 5-year pastoral plan for our parish. This process comes after much thought, discussion, and input from a wide variety of leaders in various ministries and organizations of the parish. This resulted in the development of a Parish Mission Statement which will be shared and explained when we kick off the next phase, a Pastoral Planning Survey. This plan will involve every aspect of parish life, from liturgy and worship, to spirituality and religious education, to community-building, finances and parish facilities...and beyond! In order to develop a plan that is truly reflective of who we are as the people of St. Rita, we will need the input of every registered family. This will be accomplished primarily through the Pastoral Planning Survey. In a few weeks, this Survey will be available to all St. Rita parishioners, both online and in "hard copy." As a parish family it is important that we look forward to and plan for our future. Watch for more information, and please participate!

Please join me in welcoming seminarian Derrick Rials to our parish for the summer! Over the next two weekends you will have the opportunity to meet Derrick, and I know you will give him “The St. Rita Welcome”!

As you know, Fr. Taylor Reynolds will be concluding his time with us as Parochial Vicar at the end of June. We will bid Fr. Taylor a fond farewell on Sunday, June 18, at Breakfast after the 8 and 9:30 AM Masses in the Holy Family Center. Please join me in thanking Fr. Taylor for his ministry in our parish these last three years, and wishing him well as he continues his studies in Canon Law in Rome! –Fr. Scott

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will be held the week of July 17 - 21, 8:00 AM - 12:15 PM for students in grades Pre - K through 6 (2017-18) at the Holy Family Center. There will be no charge for registered parishioners; cost for all others is $25 per family. Registration will be held after all Masses , June 10 - 11. This will be a fun week. – Sr. Nell Murray

ON LINE GIVING where you can create or alter your contribution schedule at any time. You can also see reports of your contribution history that you can use for your records. By clicking the “OnLine Giving” link at www.strita.org you can take care your contributions yourself.

EFT Electronic Funds Transfer directly from your bank accounts or your credit/debit card. EFT offers many benefits to the church and you, the parishioner. EFT transactions can be scheduled weekly on Monday, 10th, 20th or 30th of the month and allows you to make a contribution even if you are unable to attend a service. Also, using your credit card allows your contribution to count towards any rewards programs offered by your card provider. To sign up for EFT, call 445-7141 ext 210 and we will mail a form to you. We will take care of setting everything up for you. –Mrs. Etta Ohrt

STEUBENVILLE SOUTH HOST HOMES: We are looking for host homes to host the high school students from St. Rita who will be attending the Steubenville South Conference on June 23-25th. A host home will be the place where students come to each night after the conference is over. A host home will be responsible for transportation to get teens to and from St. Rita in the mornings and evenings. For host home details, please contact James Opdenhoff at 419-4409. All host's must be Virtus trained. The next Virtus training will be at the Diocese Office on May 24th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.

STEUBENVILLE VOLUNTEERS: The conference will be held June 24 - 26. New and returning volunteers need to contact: Janice Simms, 201-0358 or Belinda Guillory, 290-7709.

ST. MARY'S GRECO BOWL: Support the children of St. Mary’s Residential Facility and enjoy an evening of great food by Louisiana Chef John Folse. Wednesday, June 21 at the historic Hotel Bentley. Come and enjoy one of Chef Folse’s unique, Cajun dishes followed by a live cooking demonstration to teach guests how to recreate his magic in their home kitchen. This year’s Greco Bowl will also feature a Silent Auction. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online at www.stmarysalexandria.org or at St. Mary’s campus located at 6715 Highway 1 South, Boyce, LA. For more information, contact Tamara McNulty at 318-445-6443 ext. 2144.